


Playing With Fire: The Descent

by orphan_account



Series: Playing With Fire [2]
Category: The Yogscast
Genre: Aftermath, Minecraft, Moonquest, Multi, Respawn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-16
Updated: 2014-03-16
Packaged: 2018-01-15 23:48:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1323781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(CURRENTLY REHAULING)</p><p>A new world should mean a new start, but for some it's just become harder than ever to bury the past.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

Kim, if asked, honestly didn't think she would be able to describe her mentor as normal. Duncan was slightly eccentric, had a shorter attention span than a butterfly and had mood swings faster than a teenage girl.

He was... strange.

Not that everyone else here wasn't. Those bastards, Sips and Sjin, were far from sane. In fact, she was definitely planning to eliminate the fuckers as soon as she could. She'd never met the others, so couldn't really speak for them, but the first thing Duncan had taught her is that everyone is a threat until manipulated or killed.

"Kim. Hurry up, we need to leave."

"Sure. I'm coming."

She grabbed an iron sword and some gear and met up with her mentor outside of the pagoda. The blond was standing silently on the first few steps of the massive stone staircase that had been cut into the mountain, gazing restlessly at the horizon.

The rising sun backlit his features and made the faded scar that ran across his jaw and onto his neck look even deeper. Kim had asked about it once.

Once.

He turned, and motioned for her to follow him as he began to descend along the mountainside, his own blade glittering maliciously at his waist.

"The coordinates Ridge gave us are at the Sacred Springs biome, so that means we have to go through the Volcano and the Magical Forest. It should take around three cycles to get there."

She jogged up to him, closing the gap made by his longer strides.

"So... what are we even going to this thing for?"

Duncan grimaced slightly. "At the creation of every world, we hold a meeting to establish... laws. Boundaries we cannot cross with the technology or magic available to us." He said with some distaste.

"Laws I find slightly confining."

"You mean there's really stuff that bad?" She asked, curiosity colouring her voice.

He smiled slightly.

"Have I told you about the Voltz apocalypse?"

Kim shook her head. "And will you?"

"Not today. But take my word for it, you do not want to know about some of the things we have done."

Things I have done, he thought silently.

"Aw come on, I bet it can't be that bad."

So naive.

He shrugged. "Believe what you will, and hope you won't ever have to experience it firsthand."

Throughout the day, the skies got progressively darker and more ominous, the wind colder and the trees more gnarled and threatening as they got closer to the forest. Suddenly it was right in front of them, blotting out the sun with its dense abnormally coloured vegetation.

Without a word her teacher plunged into the thicket, using his sword to cut a path. She followed, shooting anything that reared its head over his shoulder before it could reach them with her bow.

They continued in this fashion for a few hours before reaching a clearing, where Duncan quietly announced they could take a break.

She sank gratefully to the ground, nursing her lightly bleeding fingers. Duncan looked up at the small sliver of sky that could be seen between the towering branches with a measure of concern.

"It gets darker much sooner in here. We'll have to make camp for the night."

"Is it safe?"

He flicked a few strands of spiderweb out of his hair.

"Honestly? No. It's not. But we don't have much choice." Walking to the edge of the glade, he began to collect loose branches and logs for a fire.

"Actually, there's a cave here, that might make for better protection than being out in the open."

Kim sighed and got up.

"Okay. If you say so."

\---

It's dark.

Very very dark.

Cold.

Cursed.

The shadows are watching me.

I can feel it.

He is hunting.

Hunting for my blood.

I am his game.

Every corner I turn, he is there.

Glowing eyes.

Every moment.

I can sense his presence.

He is dead and alive.

He is real and he is fake.

He exists and yet he does not.

He is myth and he is truth.

He is legacy.

He is relentless

He is Herobrine.

\---

Kim woke with a jolt, gasping in panic as she tried to force the images of white hot flame and burning skin out of her mind.

The embers burned low, sending shadows dancing and leaping along the uneven walls. Duncan lay opposite from her with the fire between them, sleeping fitfully but not waking.

She wondered what the scientist dreamed of.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a high pitched screeching noise that dragged on and on, before fading into nothingness. Kim gasped, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up as the horrific sound repeated itself, closer this time.

"Duncan." She hissed, fear tainting her voice. "Duncan!"

The noise came again, this time joined by a haunted whipering.

"Run... run... run away... run... must... run..."

A hunched figure stumbled out of the darkness, one hand bracing himself against the wall as he slowly shambled forwards. It looked like the shadows were coiling around him, flickering and rearing as if sentient.

Suddenly Duncan was awake, instinctively reaching for his sword as his gaze flicked across the room before coming to rest on the ...person.

"Shit." He whispered.

\---

The man coming them stopped and looked up, bright eyes suddenly coming into view like a light had been turned on. Duncan choked.

"Rythian?"

Glazed purple eyes came to rest on her mentor and everything went completely silent. He took a step forward, and then another, until he was right in front of the stranger. Slowly, he embraced the unresponsive man as they sank to their knees.

"Welcome back."


	2. Chapter Two

Duncan buried his face in Rythian's hair and tried to regain his composure, finally realising his apprentice was still here.

"Where have you been?"

The Mage didn't reply, merely staring into the empty space beyond his shoulder.

He sighed and got to his feet. There was so much he wanted to ask, had to ask. Duncan thought back to when they had all respawned, trying to ignore the part that came before that.

\---Flashback---Day0---

Duncan gasped, desperately trying to breathe in as much of the sweet, clean air he could. Rough grass studded with rocks dug into his back, and above him the sky was a crisp blue, marred only by the occasional cloud.

He pushed himself into a standing position and looked around, for some reason filled with an overwhelming... serenity. His vision kept flickering like a glitched computer screen, buzzing in and out of blackness and his other senses where going haywire to, hearing, touch, taste...

Faintly, he could hear other voices. 

"Well look who it is."

Sips and Sjin.

Crap. He had no weapons, nothing to defend himself with, but that meant that they had nothing either. Something smashed him in the face and he staggered back, holding his bleeding nose.

Correction. They had their fists.

"Duncan. Now, I don't know what the hell you did, but it was definitely you. And there's no way you're getting off so lightly this time."

The bearded man punched him in the stomach and kicked his legs out from under him, leaving him winded amongst the bracken.

He coughed up blood and tried to clear his blurred vision.

"What... what are you talking about?"

Sips knelt down and bashed his head against the ground.

"You fucking know what we mean. You corrupted everything!"

"... can't... remember."

"Oh yeah? Well we might be able to help you with that."

Suddenly his entire body seems to flicker out of existence for a millisecond, and Sips pulls his hand back with a surprised curse.

"The fuck?"

The scientist retaliates, but as he shoves the albino off he flickers again. Sips freezes, and they both slowly look down to where Duncan's hand is literally embedded in his stomach, seamlessly fused with his skin.

Crying out, he yanks his hand back in disgust, luck apparently on his side as it comes free. They both stagger away from each other, Duncan still glitching randomly.

"Screw this. Let's go, Sjin." His would-be assaulters both fled, the cowards, throwing a final threat back to him.

"We ain't done with you yet. Not by far."

\---Day3---

He had been waiting for days, and yet the one person he was looking for hadn't appeared. The others had. Martyn, Honeydew, Lomadia, Nilesy, Toby, all spawning in one by one, day by day.

But not Rythian.

Duncan couldn't understand it. If he had made into this new world, than why hadn't the Mage? His glitching had calmed down substantially over time, which he was grateful for, but it made him think.

What if Rythian never spawned. What if he couldn't? It would make sense, if he was physically incompatible with Code, than under normal circumstances he would never be able to respawn.

Duncan wondered if Rythian had known this, if he had known he was practically living in hardcore mode.

In the old days, it had been a running joke among those of them who had been living in the original world.

You only die twice.

Apparently, that was sadly incorrect when it came to Endermen.

\---

Kim furtively studied the newcomer as the three of them sat around the campfire in silence. He had brown hair, but with a white streak, and luminous purple eyes. His clothes were torn and coated in a fine layer of black dust, as if he'd been wandering around in a coal mine for half his life. 

Rythian's soulless eyes met hers, and she felt a light spike of pain in her head. He looked slightly surprised, as if the same thing had happened to him, but soon went back to staring intently at the fire.

The quiet was starting to unnerve her, so she tapped a message to her mentor using morse code. The stranger still scared her a little.

.Does he talk?

Duncan replied without looking at either of them.

.No.

.Are you friends?

.You could say that.

.How did you meet?

This time he did face her.

.You're getting into dangerous waters, Kim.

She stopped after that.

\---

When they emerged from the cave it was still quite dark, but then, there was hardly ever much light in this godforsaken place anyway.

Her mentor held up his hand, signalling her to wait, and whispered something to Rythian. The cocked his head to the side but shrugged, and disappeared into the foliage.

"Where's he going?" Kim asked softly.

Duncan merely gestured toward the bushes and smiled faintly.

"See for yourself."

In no time he was back, leading three graceful horses behind him. One was jet black with a pale mane, the second was golden brown with white socks and the final one was the most beautiful bruin she'd ever seen.

Rythian noticed her admiring it and smirked slightly. He led it toward her and and let her stroke it's soft muzzle. It whinnied slightly, as if greeting her, and knelt down on its front legs.

There was a huffing sound behind her and she saw the golden one climb to its feet with Duncan on its back.

"Go on. These will be our transport for the rest of the way."

"Don't they need saddles?"

Rythian shook his head and walked back to his own animal. With some trepidation, she climbed onto its back, and wincing as it stood, fearing it might hurt itself. Luckily it went fine and the bruin nickered softly as if assuring her of its health.

The ebony one was slightly more boisterous, and reared back, neighing in excitement. Their purple eyed companion took it in his stride though, and grinned at the other two, a challenge clear in his eyes.

Race you.


	3. Chapter Three

By the time they managed to navigate their way out of the tainted woodland, two days had passed. They rode in companionable silence for the most part, journey remaining interrupted as most creatures were smart enough not to challenge a mounted party.

Soon the soft whump of hooves hitting the grass became louder and more discordant as the terrain changed to one of rock and rubble. Great steam vents and pools of lava broke up the cracked and fragmented basalt, causing the horses to startle every time there was subterranean activity.

To the left the smoke filled sky was pierced by a huge mountain, magma lazily winding a path down its side, a stark contrast against the solid black monolith.

Suddenly Kim's horse neighed in fear, bucking her off as it lashed out at the air. With a snort, it was racing away across the landscape and disappearing into the distance. The two men dismounted, Duncan walking over to pull her up and Rythian staring at the far off volcano.

"You okay?"

She coughed and nodded.

"Y-yeah."

The purple eyed man glared at the mountain as it were some complex puzzle he felt obligated to solve, before apparently seeing something and crouching down to tap at the ground.

After a few seconds he motioned for her sword, and she handed it to him slightly suspiciously. He grabbed the blade, ignoring the sharpness and slammed the pommel into the ground without much force.

There was a thunderous crack, one definitely not befitting the power of the stroke, and a whole slab of rock fractured and sank slowly into the spitting magma below it. Her mentor swore.

"We're on a lava field."

\---

The other two horses bolted at the sound and they were left alone as the earth began to heave and fragment, turrets of flame spewing up between the shifting islands.

"Come on!" Duncan roared, and they took off running, desperate to reach the solace of stable ground. Suddenly a wall of fire ripped through the basalt, cutting the scientist off from the other two.

"Duncan!" She froze, whirling around to be confronted only by a wall of heat.

"Take her!" They could hear faintly. "I'll find a way around!"

"But-" Before she could convince him otherwise, Rythian had grabbed her wrist and they were once again sprinting through the chaos.

"What... about... Duncan!?" She gasped, trying desperately to keep up with her companion's relentless pace. He was like a freaking mountain lion or something, agilely guiding her through.

He shook his head without turning around. In front of them a large gap was forming, widening by the second. She leaped across but Rythian staggered as the ground shook again.

It was getting too wide to cross, he wasn't going to make it-

There was a defiant whinnying and the bay horse burst out of the flames behind him, it's hooves pounding against the unstable ground as it raced toward the gap.

Getting the idea, Rythian jumped up and pulled himself onto the stallion just as it leapt.

Time seemed to slow down, and it was almost beautiful the way glowing cinders mingled with its mane and tail, the sight of it soaring through the air so ethereal she could just imagine huge wings bursting forth and sending it skyward.

With a clatter of hooves they were safe, the impact sending grit and dust flying. Rythian held out his hand and pulled her on behind him.

"Yah!" He shouted, the first thing Kim had ever heard him say, and they were galloping through the hellish maze once more.

Before she knew it the two of them were free, bursting through the smoke and dust and able to breathe the fresh air once more. Coughing, she dismounted rather unceremoniously and looked around.

"Can you see him?"

Rythian scanned the rough moor from horseback, but shook his head in denial.

"Wait... there!"

Emerging from the smog was another figure, limping heavily and also coughing. Kim ran up and pulled Duncan's arm over her shoulder just as he nearly collapsed. Rythian took some of his weight as well and they slowly made their way of to a dip in the ground sheltered by heather and bracken.

The scientist hissed in pain as they set him down and gritted his teeth.

"What happened?" She asked with concern.

"One of those... geyser things clipped my leg as I passed... fuck me it hurts." He cautiously laid down and tried to control his breathing. Somebody tapped her shoulder and she looked up to meet Rythian's piercing eyes.

He gestured for her to move over and sat down, pulling off Duncan's half-ruined white coat and plucking a medical kit out of one of the pockets. She watched as he began to work, deftly organising the supplies. He used an iron hunting knife to cut away Duncan's jeans leg and surveyed the wound.

Kim instantly felt nauseous as she stared and the scorched flesh, and looked away.

"Kim..." Her mentor rasped. "Can you go check out the area... the springs are... just... over that rise... please."

She glanced at Rythian, who nodded in confirmation, and stood up. Grabbing a canteen she then proceeded to climb the sparsely vegetated hill, and gasped.

The Sacred Springs were beautiful. Luscious plants and sparkling water flowed over the breathtaking scenery, massive arches and sheer cliffs streaked with waterfalls. Vibrant flowers and fruit dotted the landscape and birdsong could be heard echoing through the valleys.

She slowly descended, only to find herself at the edge of one of the mentioned cliffs, looking out over the vast paradise. As she was trying to find a path down, a voice came out of nowhere, startling her so much she nearly fell.

"Pretty, isn't it?"

Kim spun round to find a tall man with golden eyes taking in the view beside her.

"You scared he heck out of me! I could have fallen!" She accused.

The man smirked, and raised and eyebrow. 

"What, like this?"

He suddenly gave her a hard shove that sent her plummeting over the edge. She barely had time to yelp before the wind was ripping past, tearing at her hair and clothes as gravity dragged her into its malicious embrace.

/Teleporting NanoSounds to Ridgedog

She flinched, expecting to have her short life ended rather abruptly. It really wasn't fair, she had only just started, she was still so young, only twenty years old. Still practically a kid compared to Duncan, who was easily over two hundred.

Hang on.

Realisation dawned and she opened her eyes to find herself in the arms of her murderer, bridal style.

"Am I dead?"

He smiled in amusement and dropped her.

"Nope. Still very much alive."

"Ow..." She grumbled. "How is that even possible?"

"It's called being an op."

"What's that?"

He rolled his eyes. "It means I run this world."

Huh...?

"My name is Ridge, but you can call me God."


	4. Chapter Four

God? Okay Kim, when faced with confusion, fall back on smart ass remarks.

"Kinky." She snorted.

"Well aren't you a little bundle of snark?" He patted her on the head condensendingly, like you would a small child.

"Whatever." Kim huffed, and began to climb the hill once more. Ridge called out behind her, tone of amusement still to obvious for her liking.

"I take it you're here for the Sanctum?"

She turned, surprised. "How did you..?"

The golden eyed man laughed. "What did I tell you? I run this place." And with a wink, he was gone.

Alright, that was just too weird. 

She jogged back toward their little makeshift camp, still keeping an eye out for the stranger. Duncan was asleep with his leg firmly wrapped in bandages and Rythian was sitting against the bay horse, playing with his creepy amulet.

"Can I name her?" Kim asked softly as she leant down to stroke its muzzle. The man shrugged and gestured for her to make a suggestion.

"Um... oh I know! Let's call her Skippy!"

The brunette rolled his eyes.

No way.

"Really? How about... Sandy?"

"Pudding?"

"Erm... Aphrodite?"

"Ooh! Ratchet! Please?"

He smiled faintly.

"Yes! Your my new best friend!"

There was a hiss of pain from behind them, and they turned to find Duncan slowly getting to his feet. Kim darted over to help him, and he gratefully accepted her assistance.

"Shouldn't you rest up some more?"

He shook his head. "We need to get going. We're really close anyway."

Rythian also looked slightly dubious, but ended up helping anyway, clicking his tongue for Ratchet to follow them. She walked ahead while the purple eyed man supported her mentor, finding paths and guiding them down the cliffs.

A few minutes later and they had emerged from the trees into a large cleared area, surrounded by Greek style pillars and floor braziers. There was a circular marble table in the centre, and Kim recognised the man she had met earlier lounging on one of the chairs.

"Ah. Duncan, Rythian. Kim."

"Ridge." Duncan acknowledged. "Where are the others?"

The golden eyed man stood up and levitated a few feet towards them.

"I thought you might know that. No one else has turned up so far." The two of them looked concerned while Rythian remained impassive.

He frowned. "Have you noticed anything strange lately? Glitches, submarining, chunk errors?"

"Not really. I'm not one for traveling, as you probably know."

Kim felt like there was something tugging at the edge of her memory, something important, really important, but she just couldn't figure out what it was.

"There aren't many things that could take down a play- I mean, person, so-"

"Who's Herobrine?" She interrupted suddenly.

Rythian's eyes snapped up to meet hers and he made some kind of growling noise, like an animal warning off a possible threat. There was also something in it that resembled fear.

Ridge also stared at her. "How do you know that name?"

She swallowed, getting the feeling she probably shouldn't have said that.

"I... I had a dream about it."

"A dream... well shit..."

"Woah woah, you mean like that children's story? With the ghost guy?" Duncan snorted. "That's a bastardised myth."

"Bastardised it is, myth it is not." Ridge's eyes flashed menacingly. "It's much worse than the tale dictates."

"Um... I really don't know what you guys are talking about..."

Duncan looked surprised. "Really? I know- forget it. I'll tell you." They all sat on the floor between the table and one of the braziers.

"It's an old wives tale, or something. Maide used to tell it to us in the Original World. She's gone now, but Herobrine's legacy remains. They say that Notch was the Creator, the First, and that he made everything, including us. Apparently when he was coding the first human, the strain it put on him caused him to 'crash', or black out, and when he woke up, the original model was gone."

"He shrugged it off and finished designing the human, letting the first few spawn and live in relative peace. There were no mobs back then, just passive animals, and nobody died for years. Then, on the centenary of the creation of mankind, He appeared. He burned the villages and infected the animals, mutating them into horrific shades of their former selves that lusted for blood."

"He warped the minds of the survivors and drove them insane, and then killed them in the most painful ways imaginable when He was bored of playing. A sick, twisted being who haunts the deepest caves and the darkest nights. They called Him Herobrine, for there was not a hero or saviour to be found under his reign of misery and fear."

"When Notch heard of this, he panicked, for this threat could potentially bring the world to its knees. He worked for twelve days and twelve nights to destroy Herobrine's Code once and for all, but on the twenty fifth day, even as His body crumbled, Herobrine fled into the Void, never to be seen again."

"Legend says that every twenty five thousand years He will return and raze the Earth, killing everyone and everything in vengeance for what Notch did to Him."

They were silent.

"Not even I know when Notch created humanity, but I do know it it's likely to be around this time that Herobrine would reappear, if He is real." Ridge said quietly.

Duncan considered for a moment. "So you think... that this Herobrine story has something to do with the others not coming?"

"I am suspicious, yes. I do not believe in coincidences."

"Well we haven't seen anything to do with it."

"Perhaps not, but maybe he has." The golden eyed man gestured toward Rythian. Duncan scratched at his scar, a nervous tic she had picked up on during their time together and Rythian looked strangely blank. Again.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea..."

"He doesn't talk though." She said, unaware of the strange tension that had sparked between the two men.

Ridge looked confused. "Doesn't he? But last-" he frowned, and then shook his head.

"That won't be an issue." He said smoothly, and stretched out a hand toward the man. Rythian suddenly recoiled and hissed at him, baring sharp fangs. Okay, this guy just got ten times scarier.

Ridge started. "The hell? Rythian, what..?" A look of determination passed over his features, and his eyes glowed brightly. "Alright, I'm finding out what the fuck happened to you." He snapped his fingers, and Kim found herself unable to move.

/all entities frozen:50 block radius

He stepped toward Rythian and closed his eyes with his hand hovering over the other mans heart, concentrating.

/opening temporary IP gate for entity codename Shadow

Rythian's eyes blazed with a light bright enough to emulate the sun, and a glowing purple Sigil flared to life at Ridge's fingertips.

"And I'm doing it whether you like it or not."


End file.
